Defenders of the Crown

The question— the one imposing conundrum that hung over the first day of the IAAF World Championships here in Moscow—was this: how do you beat the man who has it all? Short answer: you don't. Sure, you can throw everything you have at this waif-like, Somali-born Brit—and his Kenyan and Ethiopian rivals certainly did so throughout the men's 10,000m tonight—but there was a certain inevitability about the way Mo Farah absorbed all the minor jabs and punches, before in one fell swoop calmly landing the haymaker we all knew he was just waiting to unleash.

Early in the race, with the Kenyan trio pushing the pace in humid, oppressive 80-degree temperatures, Farah hung towards the back. “I didn't do much of a warmup, it was too hot,” he said.

Farah made a bold move to the front after two kilometers which surprised many. “I was just trying to slow the race down,” he said. “I think it just motivated the guys to go faster.”

In the end, we had presumed the mantle would fall to Dejen Gebremeskel to take on the Olympic champion in a last-lap shootout, but as it turned out, it was an altogether more threatening nemesis who sat on Farah's shoulder as they rounded the home turn in the form of Ibrahim Jeilan. The 24-year-old from Ethiopia pounced on Farah down the home straight in this equivalent event two years ago in Daegu, and for a moment Farah possessed the same look of utter terror when he saw the Ethiopian return for second helpings tonight. “I was just thinking about Daegu, thinking 'not again, not again, not again',” he said.

Farah of 2013, though, is quite a different prospect to Farah of 2011, and once he turned for home he again opened up that long stride, pumped those arms with piston-like efficiency, and before he knew it he was home, champion, again. The win, in 27:21.71, filled the one gaping hole on Farah's ever-expanding resume. Jeilan held on well to finish a close second with Kenyan Paul Tanui, who cut out much of the early running, third. USA's Galen Rupp faded to fourth, unable to muster the final-lap strength that saw him win Olympic silver last year. “I'm pretty disappointed,” said Rupp afterwards. “I think I did everything I could in terms of just putting myself in the right position. I just didn't have it at the end.”

For Farah, the win provided sweet justification for the many sacrifices he has made over the last year to remain at the top of the distance running tree, chief among them the pain he feels being away from his twin daughters Aisha and Amani. It is a toll, though, he is willing to pay for rewards like this. “When I went home to compete in the London games, my little daughter didn't recognize me and started crying,” he said. “As a parent you don't want to be away from your kids, but it's definitely worth it.”

Another parent who knows Farah's pain—and also struck gold earlier today—is Kenya's Edna Kiplagat, who retained her world championship marathon title this afternoon in commanding fashion. She dedicated the win to her husband and children, who she says allow her the time and space to dedicate herself to marathoning. “They understand why I have to train this way, and they let me do it.” she said afterwards with a beaming smile.

With temperatures well into the 80s and humidity at 66%, the women's marathon was always going to be a gruelling war of attrition, and so it proved as 37-year-old Italian Valeria Straneo churned out a stifling early pace, her rivals falling by the wayside one by one over the course of the first 24 miles around some of Moscow's most picturesque areas. By the time she reached the final two miles, though, Straneo realised that the defending world champion on her shoulder was simply not for dropping; Kiplagat was the egg that would not crack. “I knew I would not win in the last kilometres, because Edna is so strong,” said Straneo afterwards. Indeed, Kiplagat felt much the same. “I was confident I would win at 40km,” she said. Win she duly did, as she powered on past the plucky Italian to take victory in 2:25:44. American USA's Deena Kastor finished a creditable ninth in 2:36:12, and afterwards told assembled media it would probably be her last competitive marathon. If it was, it was in typically brave fashion that she bowed out. Today, though, belonged to Farah and Kiplagat. Both untouchable, both unbeatable. Both champions, again.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.